UN human rights experts have called on Belarusian authorities to provide urgent medical assistance to Pavel Kuchynski, a political prisoner diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer. Kuchynski's health has deteriorated significantly in prison, where he has been denied access to essential medical care, making a bone marrow transplant impossible.
United Nations human rights experts have sounded the alarm over the plight of Pavel Kuchynski, a 29-year-old political prisoner in Belarus who has been diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer. The experts expressed grave concern over the denial of medical assistance to Kuchynski, who has been imprisoned since 2022 on charges of insulting the president and threatening violence.
Kuchynski's condition has deteriorated rapidly in prison, where he has been denied access to proper medical care. He has been diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that requires specialized treatment, including a bone marrow transplant. However, the conditions in Belarusian prisons make it impossible for him to receive this life-saving procedure.
In a statement, the UN experts urged Belarusian authorities to take immediate steps to address Kuchynski's urgent medical needs. They called for him to be granted pardon or remission of sentence, or for his imprisonment to be substituted with an alternative form of deprivation of liberty that would allow him to receive proper medical care.
"In light of Mr. Kuchynski's severe health condition, please consider granting him pardon or remission of sentence or substituting his imprisonment for an alternative form of deprivation of liberty," said Anaïs Marin, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
Kuchynski's case highlights the ongoing human rights crisis in Belarus, where authorities have cracked down on dissent following the disputed 2020 reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko. Over 1,400 political prisoners are currently behind bars in Belarus, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.
At least five political prisoners have died in Belarusian prisons since 2020, raising alarm over the deteriorating conditions and lack of medical care. Viasna Human Rights Center in Belarus reports that approximately 100 political prisoners suffer from serious health problems and are at risk of dying in prison.
Pavel Sapelka from Viasna condemned the "disproportionately harsh sentences" and "torturous conditions" in Belarusian prisons, as well as the denial of medical care. He emphasized that Kuchynski's case was emblematic of the systemic human rights violations taking place in the country.
The UN experts' appeal adds to international pressure on Belarus to address the plight of political prisoners and ensure their basic human rights. The lack of medical care in Belarusian prisons is a violation of international humanitarian law and must be addressed immediately.
